Five Times Antonio's Heart was Broken
by Veronica The Mischievous
Summary: It's not easy being Antonio Lopez, misfortune and heartache tend to be a frequent companion to the man. There were five times that stood out from the usual mishaps in his life though, and his best friend seemed to be the root of each incident. Story has been updated and there is a new chapter 2.
1. Those Awkward Teenage Years Part 1

**Title:** Five Times Antonio's Heart was Broken Ch. 1  
**Rating:** PG  
**Word Count:** 1378  
**Pairing:** Slight Antonio x Kotetsu  
**Topic:** T&B Anon Meme Prompt: "5 times Kotetsu unintentionally broke Antonio's heart."  
**Type:** Canon Setting  
**Genre:** Humor, a little crack  
**Warnings:** Not really, maybe some light slash, but this is more humor if anything.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger and Bunny. Tiger and Bunny belong to Sunrise and their respective creators.  
**VTM: **Currently working on revamping this story a little, I'll try to have more to you guys soon.

-o-o-

The first time was when Antonio realized that he was attracted to Kotetsu for more than just their "friendly rivalry". Eventually the two of them moved from being rivals to actually being friends. The two started to do more than just meeting up for a quick brawl to see who was tougher. Antonio wasn't sure how it all started, but Kotetsu at some point just started hanging out with him. It was nice, Kotetsu wasn't intimidated by him at all, so it was because he must have genuinely liked him. Antonio wasn't really sure how to take this at first, but he grew to like the friendship that they had.

They'd hang out together talking about heroes, when they got their powers, or pester Tomoe on their way home from school, and even try sneaking a couple of beers from the liquor store the Kaburagis owned. Of course, they'd always get caught by Kotetsu's older brother, Muramasa and get an ass kicking, but that was beside the point. The point was that Kotetsu became the first "real friend" that Antonio had in a while.

When his next powers awoken Antonio lost the friends that he had as a child, whether it was out of their own fear or because their parents kept them away from him. As he got older, more questionable people began to gravitate towards him because of his tough appearance. And before he knew it, he was somehow the leader of a gang of punks. It was a little comforting finding out that Kotetsu went through similar experiences...minus the becoming the leader of a gang of punks. Either way, it was good to have a friend that understood such things as the harder part of life that came with having strange powers that you never asked for. It was easier to relax and let his guard down and not have to put up the constant act of machismo. Antonio could just act more like regular guy his age. Or at least as normal as things could get for a pair of trouble making nexts.

The "incident" itself happened when he was staying the night at Kotetsu's for a horror movie marathon. It was Halloween and they were both too old for Trick or Treating and at least it was something they could do that didn't involve mailboxes, jack-o-lanterns, baseball bats, and probably getting arrested by the cops. It was fun; they spent a good portion of the time making fun of some of the cornier movies. Pointing out zippers on cheap costumes, bad special effects, and mockingly imitating the terrible acting. But there were a few movies that were better than others, that left the two boys in silence and then laughing nervously, not wanting the other to know that they were a little creeped out.

Later that night Muramasa came in after closing the store and told them that they had to turn off the TV and go to sleep. That was when things started to get a little awkward. Antonio was on the floor while Kotetsu had the bed. Neither of them seemed able to find sleep, Kotetsu kept staring at the ceiling while Antonio couldn't help but glance at the dark space under Kotetsu's bed from time to time. Logically, the bulky teen knew that there really wasn't anything under the bed except maybe some clothes and the magazines they stole from Muramasa's room. But, he couldn't help but feel like there was something watching him from that little dark space; it was getting a bit unnerving.

Antonio then tried to keep his focus on the ceiling, hoping that sleep would come for him soon.

"Oi, Antonio...?" Kotetsu asked quietly. "You still awake?"

The bigger teen debated for a moment on whether to answer or not, it was when he thought he heard something from under Kotetsu's bed move. "Y-yeah..."

Kotetsu rolled over and looked down at his friend. "You're not scared, are you?"

Antonio frowned at the smaller teen. "Of course not." He said with a huff. "Are you?"

"Pshh! No, I was just wondering, I thought that I heard you whimper like a baby." Kotetsu said jokingly with a smirk. He then noticed that he was getting a glare from the bigger teen. "What?"

"Don't even joke like that!" Antonio said suddenly. "I've been hearing weird noises from under your bed since we had to turn off the TV..."

Kotetsu's smug smirk faded pretty quickly, he looked rather horrified by that information. "W-what...?"

One thing led to another and the two of them ended up uncomfortably sharing Kotetsu's bed.

"Kotetsu...Why are we both in your bed?" Antonio asked in a flat tone.

"Because sleeping on the floor hurts my back and wouldn't it be easier for something under the bed to get you if you're already on the floor?" Kotetsu explained. He felt a little embarrassed by the childish logic of thinking that something was under the bed, but after all the movies it was enough to make both boys paranoid enough to believe anything.

"Good point." Antonio then fidgeted a little, trying to get a little more comfortable. The position they were in was awkward, to say the least. Antonio took up most of the bed of course, which meant that Kotetsu was uncomfortably sandwiched between the wall and his bulk. At some point though, Kotetsu managed to somehow end up half laying on the bigger teen, as if he were an oversized pillow.

Antonio couldn't help but notice that his heart was beating a little faster. The awkward closeness left Antonio let him take in details of his friend that he probably shouldn't have been noticing. The secure hold that the smaller teen had on him and how he was pressed against him was a good reminder of how lean Kotetsu really was. The smaller teen looked deceptively scrawny with the way he wore his school uniform, it was easy to underestimate him. Even without his next power Kotetsu had a lot of strength packed in that slender frame of his. Slender, pretty strong, and not a too bad looking face either. Antonio then shook his head, trying to stop his mind from going into any forbidden territory. "Hey, how about we just move into the living room?"

"Sure, you can go first." Kotetsu said in a blunt tone.

"Like hell!" Antonio shot back. "You go first! You're the one that wants to be a hero!"

"You're the one with impenetrable skin!" Kotetsu pointed out. "If a crazy killer tries to stab you in the hall they couldn't do shit to you!"

"You are fucking horrible!" Antonio nearly shouted. "I'm not some meat shield!" It actually hurt a little hearing that from Kotetsu, but Antonio wasn't sure if it was his pride or something else.

"SHH!" Kotetsu tried to quiet him down. "You'll wake up my family!"

And right then...

"CRASH!"

The legs of Kotetsu's bed finally gave out from the combined weight of both of the boys.

The bedroom door suddenly swung open and the lights were then turned on, revealing a very pissed off Muramasa. "What in the hell are you two doing!?" he shouted, he was about to chew the teens out and give them both a good whack upside the head. But it only took a short moment for the scene to click. "People are trying...to...sleep...?"

If Kotetsu and Antonio's position wasn't awkward enough before, it sure was now. Kotetsu by this point was now lying on top of Antonio, the bigger teen had his hands on Kotetsu's shoulders. It looked as though Muramasa had interrupted the two in the middle of "tender moment". Both of the boys looked up at Muramasa like a pair of deer caught in headlights, Muramasa just stared at them for a good long moment, his brain was trying to process just what it was that he was seeing. Finally when his senses returned to him, he quietly shut the door and could be heard hurrying back to his room, and slamming the door. Obviously he wanted to forget what he saw or maybe just try to blame it all on a really weird dream.

The three of them never brought up "the incident" again...Unless they were really drunk. And even then it was still rather awkward for Muramasa.

-End of Chapter-


	2. Those Awkward Teenage Years Part 2

**Title:** Five Times Antonio's Heart was Broken Ch. 2  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Word Count:** 936  
**Pairing:** Antonio/Kotetsu, Kotetsu/Tomoe  
**Topic:** T&B Anon Meme Prompt: "5 times Kotetsu unintentionally broke Antonio's heart."  
**Type:** Canon setting, before the series takes place.  
**Genre:** Drama, Slight Romance, Slash  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger and Bunny. Tiger and Bunny belong to Sunrise and their respective creators.  
**VTM: **This is the new chapter 2.

-o-o-

Neither of them knew how or when things between them started to change. Maybe it was a passing comment Kotetsu made about Antonio or their talking about their troubles with girls. Both of them had their issues, for Kotetsu it was a girl named Tomoe who was well out of his league. For Antonio it was that girls often couldn't get past his tough appearance and the awkwardness he had with them.

"Come on, you don't have an ugly face." Kotetsu said one day as they were talking about the subject. They were in Kotetsu's room; he was watching Antonio sew a couple of tears in his jacket that he got from another fight. "Besides, you're a strong guy and you have some unexpected hobbies. Mom loves that you sew, she has fun teaching you some stuff."

"It's not exactly something that a guy should be proud of." Antonio said as he blushed. "It's just because I had to learn it to help out around the house. My brothers and sisters mess their clothes up all the time, so someone's got to help repair them. "

"I don't get why you can't be proud." Kotetsu admitted. "It seems like a useful skill."

"Because men have to be manly, sewing isn't exactly considered a "manly hobby" where I'm from." Antonio explained.

He and his family had moved out from California when he was just entering his teenage years, Antonio had grown up in a culture that valued the idea of "machismo". Men had to be assertive, strong, and embody what it means to be "manly". Antonio looked and sounded the part, that much was for sure, but he had his doubts, he had his certain likes for things that would have been considered "less than manly", things like sewing, a little cooking, and dealing with a certain attractions to people he shouldn't be attracted to.

"Here, it's fixed." Antonio handed the school jacket back to Kotetsu.

"Thanks Tonio! Mom would have killed me if she had to fix this again." Kotetsu said as he looked over Antonio's handiwork.

"Maybe you should try harder at avoiding fights." Antonio suggested. "Seeing how many repairs that thing has I'm going to get you get into a lot of them."

"That's easier said than done." Kotetsu said while he put on his jacket. "Some people think I'm a freak, they like to try to "test their strength" by fighting me."

Antonio fidgeted uncomfortably, remembering how he wanted to challenge Kotetsu for pretty much the same reason.

Kotetsu seemed to notice this. "Ah, but that's just stupid kid stuff, right? It's just what guys do."

Antonio sighed and gave him a skeptical look.

"Don't be such a stick in the mud." Kotetsu said with a slight huff. He then leaned against Antonio's bulky frame. "You're different, alright? I like you."

Antonio felt his heart flutter for a moment. He wasn't sure if it was the invasion of personal space or the "I like you" that he wished meant more. Either way, it didn't end there. As time went, Kotetsu's invasions of space persisted; Antonio could never really tell if it was intentional or not. Regardless of how dense Kotetsu seemed at times, he knew how to hide things if he felt he had to.

Eventually this led to an awkward situation that wasn't awkward at the time they did it. The boys had snuck a few beers from the store again and were drinking in Kotetsu's room while they were talking and looking over Muramasa's magazines that they stole. Neither really knew what started the subject of kissing, perhaps it was a passing comment while looking at the pictures, but both boys made mention that neither of them had their first kiss yet. They would blame it on the alcohol, raging teen hormones, or maybe curiosity if they'd somehow end up talking about it in later years. Either way, they ended up sharing their first kiss together.

It wasn't too enjoyable at first, Kotetsu was very hesitant, he and Antonio were both inexperienced and unsure about being so close to each other. It was sloppy, clumsy, but as time went, as they got more into it, they started to enjoy it. They were still unsure, but they continued, exploring this new closeness with a growing confidence. There was no telling just how far it would have gone if it wasn't for Kotetsu hearing someone approaching the door of his bedroom. Both boys scrambled to put some distance between each other just as the door suddenly opened and Kotetsu's mother peered into the room check on them.

"Are you boys alright?" Anju asked, her voice was laced with concern. "Just what have you two been up to?" Her concern faded and slowly turned into suspicion.

Perhaps she heard them? Maybe she saw them? She did appear rather suddenly, it was possible that Kotetsu and Antonio didn't move quickly enough. Both boys stared up at her in a mix of surprise and a little fear, hoping that she didn't see anything. Instead they had to deal with a different kind of wrath, while Anju didn't show any sign of seeing the two of them being intimate; she sure as hell did see the empty beer bottles and magazines. Both Kotetsu and Antonio got a scolding that neither of them would forget any time soon.

Things were a little awkward for a couple weeks after that day. Kotetsu suddenly became more aware of personal space, he was more cautious. The awkwardness didn't last too long though, because Kotetsu soon started going out with Tomoe Amamiya. It hurt; Antonio would be lying if he said it didn't. Part of it from feeling as though he were being left behind; another wondering if maybe he had done something wrong. But in the end he wasn't left behind, their group of two simply became a group of three, as Tomoe proved to be a good friend to the both of them.

-End of Chapter-


	3. The Friend and the Funeral

**Title:** Five Times Antonio's Heart was Broken Ch. 3  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Word Count:** 1318  
**Pairing:** Slight Antonio/Kotetsu, could be seen as bromance or romance, it's completely up to you.  
**Topic:** T&B Anon Meme Prompt: "5 times Kotetsu unintentionally broke Antonio's heart."  
**Type:** Canon setting, before the series takes place.  
**Genre:** Drama  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger and Bunny. Tiger and Bunny belong to Sunrise and their respective creators.  
**VTM:** This is now chapter 3, the new chapter 2 focuses again on their teenage years. This has a few corrections and updates. I hope you enjoy!

-o-o-

The third time didn't involve any of the awkwardness that came with one's teenage years. This time they were both adults that lived their own lives but still stayed as good friends over the years; despite the kind of rivalry that came with their line of work. Kotetsu surprisingly enough got married and had a beautiful little girl that they named Kaede. The brave woman that married Kotetsu was none other than their friend from high school, Tomoe. The same girl that Kotetsu saved from that first time he and Antonio had officially met and fought each other.

Tomoe was a good woman, kind, but strict as well. Just the kind of person Kotetsu needed to balance out his wild personality. Antonio would have been lying if he said that he didn't admire Tomoe a little himself. She was beautiful in appearance as well as personality. It was a wonder why she would hang out around a pair of trouble makers like them when they were in high school. She truly was a wonderful woman; it was a shame she had to leave them when she did. The world lost another good person, there were too little of good people as it was.

It was the night, just after the funeral, they had returned to the Kaburagi house from the church where the funeral was held. Kotetsu was with Antonio in the living room, they left before Anzu and Muramasa because Kaede fallen asleep from her crying by that point. Antonio left with him because he didn't want to leave his friend alone, especially after such an event; he even insisted that he be the one to do the driving.

Kotetsu had just put little Kaede to bed and had returned to join Antonio on the couch. Kotetsu for the most part had been very quiet that day. He'd respond when he was talked to, but things didn't go much beyond that. Antonio couldn't remember even seeing his friend cry as they lowered his wife into the ground. He just stood there while holding his daughter's hand, with an unreadable expression on his face. It was like he was wearing a mask the entire time and it was almost frightening in a way, just how well Kotetsu could hide what he was really feeling. He was still wearing that mask even then, as they sat together on the couch.

"Are you okay?" Antonio asked finally, after a long period of silence.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Kotetsu said in an almost weak voice. "It's just been a hell of a day." There seemed to be an attempt to sound normal. But he sounded more like a ghost of himself; he just wouldn't drop the act.

They were both quiet again; it took some time for Antonio to find the will to speak. Finding the right words that he really wanted to say was impossible, so instead he decided to steer the conversation somewhere else. "You shouldn't hold such feelings in like that. It's going to just end up hurting you in the end..."

"I'm okay, Antonio..." Kotetsu tried to sound reassuring, he even tried to give a smile, but the ox of a man could tell that it was all part of his act. "If I just broke down, what kind of hero would I be? I have to keep going, that was the last promise I made to her."

Antonio couldn't help but worry for his long time friend. "It's not a sin to break down once in a while, Kotetsu." he explained. "You just got hit really hard with the death of your wife, you're entitled to break down, you are human after all."

"A hero can't do that, Antonio!" Kotetsu suddenly barked at him. It was clear he was starting to get irritated. The act that he was working so hard to keep up was clearly starting to slip up. "I...I just can't do that." Kotetsu tried to regain his composure.

It took a moment for Antonio to process everything that he had just saw. He was a little stunned to say the least; Kotetsu was really pushing himself to keep up the appearance that he was "okay". It was like he was trying to block the world out, trying to protect himself in his own little mental fortress. It just wasn't healthy; even if Kotetsu managed to block the world from seeing how he felt or if he blocked his feelings from the world, it was going to catch up with him eventually. Antonio took a deep breath and gave a long sigh. He was going to hate himself for what he was about to do. He was no psychiatrist, so he'd have to handle this in the best way he knew how.

Antonio got up from his seat on the couch and stood right in front of Kotetsu, giving him a stern look. Kotetsu, of course, looked up at his friend a little confused. He wasn't expecting it when Antonio then gave him a sudden punch to the face.

The force of the punch sent Kotetsu against the back of the couch, he looked up at the larger man, his eyes wide in shock and his hand moving to his now sore cheek. It took a moment or two for Kotetsu to return to his senses, but when he did, his temper flared, just as Antonio thought it would.

If Antonio didn't have his Next powers, then he clearly would have been a dead man. Kotetsu lashed out at him, his emotions broke through like water breaking through a dam. He and Antonio fought right there in the living room, throwing punch after punch at each other. Antonio was able to absorb and block most of the hits that Kotetsu gave, seeing his friend looking at with such a hate filled look made things more painful than they should have been.

Eventually both men wore themselves out. Kotetsu's legs quivered slightly, they were having a hard time supporting him now. He tried to throw one more punch, but it was weak, it could barely even be considered a punch at all. Kotetsu's legs almost gave out; he ended up leaning into Antonio's chest. Kotetsu grabbed onto his best friend before he could fall, his body was starting to tremble at this point.

Antonio was hesitant to wrap his arms around his friend at first, he couldn't be too sure if Kotetsu would try to hit him again. But when he did manage to get a secure hold on his friend, he could hear him mumbling something against him.

"...It hurts." it was all that Antonio could really make out of his friend's words. But Kotetsu kept repeating that phrase a good five or six times. "Everything hurts, Tonio..." he finally admitted. "Why did she have to leave me like that...?" Kotetsu's grip on Antonio tightened as he finally allowed himself cry.

When Anzu and Muramasa returned home, there was obviously a lot of explaining that had to be done about the wrecked living room. But luckily they were willing to let it go until the next day. Antonio was seated on the couch with Kotetsu leaned against his hulking frame. The smaller man was sound asleep, but he still managed to hold onto Antonio. It was like if Kotetsu didn't hold onto something, then he too might have somehow slipped into a dark place where there was no hope of getting out of. Much like a grave.

Before Antonio finally succumbed to sleep, he thought a little about some of the things that he really wished that he could say to Kotetsu. There was so much that he wanted to tell him, but it wasn't the right time or place to. Chances were that there never was going to be a "right time or place" to tell him the things that he wanted to say. The best that Antonio could do was be Kotetsu's friend and let him know that he was there if he needed someone to lean on...or a good punch to the face to knock him back to his senses.

-End of Chapter-


	4. The Time Antonio Broke Kotetsu's heart

**Title:** Five Times Antonio's Heart was Broken Ch. 4  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Word Count:**  
**Pairing:** None  
**Topic:** T&B Anon Meme Prompt: "5 times Kotetsu unintentionally broke Antonio's heart."  
**Type:** Canon setting, set towards the end of the series, some spoiler warnings.  
**Genre:** Drama, Slight Romance, Slash  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Tiger and Bunny. Tiger and Bunny belong to Sunrise and their respective creators.  
**VTM:** Here's chapter 4!

-o-o-

There was one time Antonio unintentionally broke Kotetsu's heart. Kotetsu found himself struggling, keeping Antonio's arm from crushing him as he was pressed against a brick wall. This entire day had been nothing but a nightmare. First he saw his face plastered across the news, being accused of murder of all things. Then no one, not Agnes, Ivan, or Pao-Lin, seemed to recognize him. Kotetsu tried desperately to talk some sense into them.

There was a brief moment of relief in the back of Kotetsu's mind when he saw Rock Bison coming down from the sky. For a brief, brief moment though, because right after he landed Kotetsu found himself stuck between Rock Bison and a hard place.

"Earning points by capturing crooks like you is our job!" Antonio declared.

"You idiot!" Kotetsu said, completely dumbfounded by what was happening. "I'm your best friend!"

"Best friend?" Antonio said with a hint of confusion. For just a second his arm seemed to ease up.

Kotetsu felt his heart jump slightly; maybe he was finally getting through that thick skull of his. But then Kotetsu felt Antonio's strength suddenly return full force keeping him securely pinned in place.

"What nonsense is that, you low life?!" Rock Bison shouted.

"What?!" Kotetsu couldn't believe what he was hearing. Antonio Lopez, who he had known for years, didn't recognize him. He felt a sickening feeling in his stomach as his heart sank with that realization. What was happening? Did he do something wrong? Why was everyone acting like he was a criminal? Had they all gone mad? Looking at Antonio, Kotetsu had to question if he had been a horrible friend to the man. Was this what the dumb cow really thought of him?

Soon that sudden feeling of uncertainty and despair gave away to irritation and annoyance. He couldn't keep thinking like that, something was terribly wrong with Antonio and the others, Kotetsu knew that he was not a criminal. "Okay, that's it...!" Kotetsu growled as he activated his powers. "You bastard!" He yelled as broke free from Antonio's hold.

"This guy...! He's a power-type NEXT!" Rock Bison announced to Pao-Lin and Origami.

_'No shit Sherlock!'_ Kotetsu thought as he ran, dodging getting hit by a truck by escaping into the sewers. It only reaffirmed that there was something wrong with him. Of course he'd know that! So why was he acting like he had no idea? He had to find something, any way to make them remember. Kotetsu hated this feeling, the feeling that he was unknown, completely forgotten. Origami and Dragon Kid, he saw them from the beginning of their careers as heroes and tried to be helpful to them the best he could with his fatherly instincts. Antonio just hurt; he'd have to get him back one day for this if he ever made it out of this crazy day in one piece.

Down in the sewers Kotetsu took a moment to try to catch his breath. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, that sickening feeling was still with him as that uncertainty started to sneak its way back into his mind. So many questions, what was he going to do? How could he prove to them who he really was? Kotetsu started to think back on his friendship with Antonio over the years, looking for something positive to hold onto and reassure himself that things were going to be okay. Maybe even some fodder to help remind him just who this "lowlife" was. "Tsk...A lowlife? The nerve of that guy..." Kotetsu grumbled disdainfully. Instead, he was faced with both the good and the bad that he had done to the man that was supposed to be his friend. Remembering the times where Kotetsu knew he probably hurt Antonio, but was either too proud or stubborn to admit it. Maybe, just maybe, Kotetsu did have it coming, as some kind of sick joke of karma. He gave a heavy sigh as he pushed himself to get moving again, he had to keep moving, or they were going to catch him. _'Kotetsu T. Kaburagi, horrible hero, and a horrible best friend.'_

-End of Chapter-


End file.
